MB&F and Miki Eleta's Hippocampus Clock

The Clock That Works Like Magic

Kinetic sculptor and horologist Miki Eleta debuted his latest creation — the 9-foot tall, $165,000 Hippocampus — at MB&F’s M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland. The clock is a marvel of design and engineering, boasting a unique escapement of Eleta’s own invention, and intricate details, such as a seahorse-shaped anchor. But the real draw is the clock’s musical mechanism.

Every 6.6 days, the arm at the center of the clock retracts in full, at which point it triggers a musical chime that lasts between 10-15 seconds, coinciding with the arm’s descent. The melody — a combination of bells and chimes — is unique every time, not repeating itself for over 100 years. Miki has kept the details of the mechanism secret, but suffice it to say that so intricate a complication is a testament to his ingenuity and craftsmanship.

Fashioned out of gold, lapis lazuli and glass, Eleta’s Hippocampus is an original take on a classic design, with a centuries’ worth of unique melodies.